Cycle News

VOL. 51 ISSUE 43 OCTOBER 28, 2014 P51 it was another race of attrition, with eight of 22 starters failing to make the finish. Most notably was Dani Pe- drosa, who many had nomi- nated as favorite for a third suc- cessive Sepang win. Instead the Repsol Honda crashed, not once but twice, ruling him- self right out of the battle for second overall in the cham- pionship. A second straight no-score means he will finish fourth. Pedrosa's first mistake came at the end of the second lap, braking for the hairpin. He had just ceded the lead to Lorenzo. Now as they all wheeled left, his front slipped and tucked under, and he was down. But not out. He remounted, and was carving through the back- markers – lapping as fast as or faster than the leaders – when he fell again under braking. "I had a good weekend and I expected a good result. I guess it was not meant to be," Pedrosa said. Other early casualties were Cal Crutchlow, his Ducati dy- ing out on track with another electronic problem; plus NGM Forward Yamaha's Aleix Espar- garo and Go&Fun Honda's Al- varo Bautista, who crashed to- gether on the second lap after the former ran into the latter. By the end, with just 14 finish- ers, there were points for all of them. The race started under overcast skies, bringing fears of a typical afternoon tropical storm, often coinciding with the unusually late 4 p.m. start time, to suit European televi- sion schedules. Just such a downpour had struck on Briefly... same line, the bike never moves. I am completely the opposite. But in the end, our mentality is the same. Maybe when he goes to Moto2 it will be different, because when I was in 125, I was also very smooth." Colin Edwards' expected last farewell ride at Valencia has fallen through, with the Forward team de- ciding against adding him back to the team. The two-time World Superbike Champion also lost another distinc- tion in Malaysia: Nicky Hayden's 197th start was one more than the Texan, making him the most expe- rienced U.S. rider in premier-class history. Marc Marquez's 13th pole off the season in Malaysia added yet an- other record to the Spanish super- star's growing list. His 12th in Austra- lia equaled the number set by Mick Doohan in 1997 and Casey Stoner in 2011. "I always say the same: a re- cord is great motivation and shows you are in a good way," Marquez said. "But pole means you are fast- est in just one lap, so though I am happy about it, it's not the same as the other records." For the record, Marquez did it in 17 races, and has a chance to add a 14th at Valencia, which would mean a 77.8 percent hit rate. Stoner did in a year with 17 rounds – 70.5 percent, but Doohan had only 15 chances. His hit rate of 80 percent remains inviolate. Second is just the first loser... but the maxim doesn't apply this year, after Marc Marquez left his major rivals all hoping to achieve this du- bious honor. With 25 premier-class wins, Dani Pedrosa easily outranks Randy Mamola and Max Biaggi (13 the Go&Fun KTM was 10th. Remy Gardner, son of former 500cc World Champion Wayne Gardner, took his first point for 15th, again as a Calvo-KTM injury replacement, and at the head of a gang of four regulars. Mahindra's Miguel Oliveira, third here last year, crashed out on the first lap. Marquez still holds the advantage as they take a breather before the last round at Valencia, with 262 points to Miller's 251. Rins (226) can do no better than third; Vazquez (212) has a mathematical chance of taking that place from him. Fenati (174) and Mas- bou (160) are disputing fifth. This is Moto3 at its best: Jack Miller (8) leads eventual winner Efren Vazquez (7), championship leader Alex Marquez (12), Alex Rins (42) and the rest of the pack fighting for victory at Sepang. continued on next page

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